Unity are promoting women in gaming with a series of global talks

Talks that will actually be done by women

It’s no secret that the games industry needs to recruit more women and a big part of making that happen is to make sure we don’t forget the women already working in the industry and thriving there. Successful women in the games industry are role models to others, they’re proof that women can succeed in a male-dominated industry, but their achievements and the importance of their contributions need more attention and recognition to inspire not only women already interested in a career in the industry but those who thought they might be unable to pursue one. That’s why we’re really happy to see Unity Technologies, creators of the Unity development platform, are launching a series of global talks which aim to promote important conversations around the need for diversity in the industry and the development of women’s careers.

Even better news, it will be women speaking at these events rather than a panel of men speaking for them in one of those all too familiar “yes we know this about you but we’d like to speak about it because we are the go-to authority on everything” scenarios. There’ll be five events in total and each one will feature an industry leader who will share her own experiences of working in the industry, as well as offer insights and tips on a whole range of topics that will hopefully help women in the industry and those who aspire to be there learn ways they can develop themselves and navigate the industry to progress their careers. The events will also give women the opportunity to network, make contacts, and learn from each other.

Chief People Officer at Unity, Elizabeth Brown said the idea was originally an internal development initiative but that the company decided to extend the efforts into the wider industry:

“These event are an important platform for women to come together in a collaborative setting and learn from each other, which is key to ensuring their ongoing success in the gaming and tech communities.”

The events are all taking place this year between June and September starting with Amsterdam on June 1st, San Francisco on June 20th and September 22nd, Shanghai on July 28th before finishing up in Los Angeles in Early November. The confirmed speakers include Fiona Sperry, founder of Three Fields Entertainment; Professor Dana Carney; Professor Tracy Fullerton; Nanea Reeves, President and COO of textPlus; Amy Huang, AVP at NetEase Capital; Evelyn Liu, CTO at Firevale; and Yanyan Xiong, Founder of Shenzenware.

The events are spread across the world and they’re also free and open to the public. If you’d like to find out more about the talks and how to attend one yourself you can visit Unity’s blog. Just don’t read the comments, lest your eyes roll out of your head.